No fewer than seven individuals have died and numerous others remain unaccounted for in the wake of a boat ferrying approximately 200 migrants trying to get to European shores sank in waters near Gambia, authorities say.
The boat overturned on Wednesday midnight near Jinack village in the North Bank Region and it was later found "beached on a shoal", the Gambian military authorities announced officially.
Nearly one hundred people have been saved to date and a rescue operation continues for those still missing who were aboard the shipwrecked vessel that was bound for Spain's Canary Islands.
The perilous journey over the Atlantic has become an increasingly common route for migrants from Africa seeking entry into the EU.
Almost forty-seven thousand migrants reached the Canary Islands in 2024 and estimates in excess of 9,000 people have lost their lives trying.
Search and Rescue Efforts
In the aftermath of the disaster, The Gambian Navy initiated a search-and-rescue operation, using multiple navy ships and a fishing boat that came to assist, the defence ministry reported.
Officials state some of the deceased are not Gambian nationals and that their identities are still being verified.
The remains of the seven individuals who died have been retrieved, and a dozen of the saved are described as being in grave health and receiving urgent medical care.
A Frequent Pathway
This West African nation is one of the routes used by migrants attempting to enter Europe, typically through dangerous journeys across ocean and terrain.
In recent years, the European Union has forged deals with multiple North African nations designed to curtailing irregular migration.
